A school-led restoration project in Orange County, California, has helped bring back kelp forests while turning thousands of students into active participants in marine conservation. Since 2009, the organisation ‘Get Inspired’ has involved schools and volunteer scuba divers in efforts to restore coastal species and habitats. More than 15,000 students have taken part in growing kelp and marine animals in classrooms, while 250 volunteer divers have supported restoration projects along the coast. The work has since expanded beyond kelp, but its central idea remains the same as to giving young people a direct role in repairing the natural world.
How the organisation is utilised 15,000 students and 250 divers in restoring the kelp forest
Get Inspired began its restoration work in 2009 with the goal of bringing back kelp forests along the Orange County coast. According to OC Nonprofit Central, the project was designed to involve the wider community as well as students ranging from elementary school to community college.Rather than keeping environmental education inside textbooks, students were given practical responsibilities. More than 15,000 students have grown kelp and marine animals in their classrooms as part of the organisation’s programmes. At the same time, 250 volunteer scuba divers have taken part in different projects aimed at restoring coastal species.The work covered the entire 42-mile Orange County coastline. Get Inspired reports that it has worked with 52 different schools in the county while surveying and restoring the coast since the programme began.
Students turned classrooms into small marine nurseries
The restoration effort connected school science lessons with the needs of damaged coastal ecosystems. Students learned to raise marine animals in specially designed classroom nurseries and became responsible for maintaining the conditions needed for them to survive.The programme involved more than simply keeping organisms alive. Students produced their own seawater and tested and adjusted its chemistry each day to maintain suitable conditions. Through this hands-on approach, lessons in biology, chemistry and ecology became part of the restoration process.According to OC Nonprofit Central, the organisation describes the programme as an intensive hands-on STEM initiative, with students also carrying out their own scientific research. Several participants have published research papers with the Academy of Sciences.The experience has also influenced what some students choose to do later. Get Inspired reports that many students who took part in its programmes went on to study marine science at university, with some eventually returning as professional volunteers.
The restored kelp forests opened the door to new projects
The organisation says it successfully restored the kelp forests after 15 years of work. That achievement did not mark the end of the programme. Instead, the restored habitat became part of a broader effort to rebuild other coastal species that depend on healthy marine environments.Students are now raising green abalone, white seabass and Pismo clams in classroom nurseries. The animals are eventually intended to be returned to the coast, extending the classroom-to-ocean model that began with the kelp restoration.OC Nonprofit Central reports that sixth- through 12th-grade students, along with students at Orange Coast College, are involved in raising these species. The animals are cared for in custom-built systems while students learn about their biology and ecology.The organisation has already placed a second batch of green abalone back along the coast. It is also surveying Orange County for Pismo clams, with 400 volunteers involved in the effort to restore the species.
The programme has grown beyond kelp restoration
The same practical approach has also been applied to sustainability education. Get Inspired runs aquaponics programmes in schools, allowing students to grow food crops and fish together in one system.In these systems, fish waste provides nutrients for plants, while the plants help support the water system. Students therefore encounter several areas of science through one project, including biology, engineering, chemistry and ecology. The programme also introduces them to growing food and understanding where it comes from.The organisation says this type of farming uses 90% less water than traditional farming. The food produced through the school systems can also be harvested and eaten during the school year, giving the lessons a practical outcome beyond the classroom.
The restored coastline became a lesson for future scientists
Get Inspired has also taken thousands of students beyond school grounds through trips to places including Yosemite, the Channel Islands and Joshua Tree National Parks. Environmental science students have learned field research techniques and carried out projects connected with their classes.For the organisation, the wider aim is not simply to teach young people about environmental problems. Its stated mission is to encourage stewardship and curiosity about the natural world through science.Students were not only taught why damaged ecosystems matter; they were given a role in helping repair one. The 15,000 students who have participated and the hundreds of divers who volunteered turned restoration into a community effort rather than a project limited to school.
